An Empty Intercept Shield 2x2 Coin Holder
I am continuing to look for an ideal way to store my coins so I can move away from using cardboard 2x2 holders. One option I am currently investigating is the Intercept Shield 2x2 holder. The primary reason I am interested in them is their supposed archival quality storage properties and that they may fit in Eagle 2x2 album pages allowing me to store my collection for easier viewing. The Intercept Shield 2x2 coin holders comprise three components, two inert colourless plastic halves that snap together to form the outer case of the holder. The coin is retained by the third component, a stiff black foam type plastic insert with a hole for the coin and that is retained by the outer case. You can see an un-assembled holder below.
Intercept Shield 2x2 Coin Holder Components
To fit a coin to such a holder you simply need to purchase a holder with the correctly sized hole for the coin. The black plastic is quite stiff, much stiffer than the inserts in the air-tite coin holders I've spoken about previously. This means you need to purchase holders whose hole diameter isn't more than 0.5mm smaller than the diameter of the coin or the coin won't fit or will be very difficult to put into the holder.
Intercept Shield 2x2 Coin Holder Fitted with Coin Ready for Assembly
Above you can see an Australian penny fitted to the black plastic insert. The coin fits snugly and cannot move within the insert. To put the holder back together is simply a matter of fitting the insert and coin to one half of the outer case and snapping the other half together with it.
Intercept Shield 2x2 Coin Holder Fitted with Coin
Assembly only takes a few seconds and is significantly faster and easier than putting a coin in an Eagle 2x2 Coin holder. The holders themselves are quite attractive and allow for easy viewing of the coin. Of course having the coin retained by the black insert means you cannot view the edge of the coin.
I should comment on the supposed archival storage quality of the Intercept Shield 2x2 coin holders. The holders are supposed to be excellent for maintaining the condition of a coin and preventing toning of coins and preserving mint luster of silver and copper coins. In fact the black plastic insert is supposed to be some sort of sacrificial material that will attack and neutralise any gasses that enter the holder and prevent them from effecting the coin it retains. I am not sure exactly how this happens and given the time I've had them of course I haven't tested this side of them but if you're interested you can read more about it here. There's also an interesting long term test you can read about. This test was carried out by the parent company of Intercept Shield and contains some pretty spectacular results.
Concluding Comments
Given that I can find folder pages for these holders I may end up using them. They are attractive and easy to use and seem to do the job in terms of preserving the coins they hold. The only real problem I have with them is the sizes of the inserts. They are specifically designed for US coins (as most things are) and thus some Australian coin sizes dont translate very well. The half penny and florins are very tight squeezes indeed. I'll try a number of them and draw my own conclusions. If they really are too tight then I'll have to keep looking for another storage solution.
Posted by mnemtsas at March 12, 2009 1:17 PM
Subscribe to our Newsletter
